Lost and Found
by MysticIris
Summary: Post COHF. A heartbroken Magnus Bane has moved to Los Angeles after the war. What will he do when he is offered the chance to reclaim what he thought was lost forever?
1. Worse Than Death

**Worse Than Death**

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Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Cassandra Clare. They are not mine.

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Warning: This story contains character death, lots of angst and will eventually delve into some other sensitive subjects.

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Magnus lay on his bed under his covers and stared at the dull ceiling. It was a white ceiling, with traces of mold spreading from the corners. Pale light shown from behind his ratty gray curtains, telling him that it was morning and that he should be getting up. At least, he figured it was morning, but it could be the afternoon for all he cared. He didn't feel like getting up. He had no reason to.

The warlock's stomach growled loudly, taking him away from his trance. He groaned, placing a hand over it and willed it to calm down. It refused him, growling even louder and sending pangs throughout his whole body. Magnus sighed and forced himself to sit up. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. Food had lost it's appeal for him and eating was just something he did to keep himself alive.

_Alive_. Magnus thought bitterly as he threw back the covers and got to his feet. _There was a time when staying alive was all I really cared about._

He walked slowly down the hall and downstairs towards the kitchen, rubbing at his tired eyes. No matter how much he slept, he never felt rested. He doubted he ever would again. It had been nearly six months since the war with the Dark Shadowhunters had happened and he was still in just as much pain as he was back then. The war had been won and the world had been saved. And none of it had mattered. Not to Magnus. He had lost everything.

The warlock's shoulders slumped and he breathed another deep sigh. The pain in his chest had intensified and tears began to sting his cat eyes. Cursing, he pulled out a box of corn flakes and tried to distract himself with a meager breakfast. He pulled some milk from the refrigerator and poured some into his bowl, only to find it coming out in lumps. A rank smell filled his nostrils and he cursed again. The milk had expired last week.

With a snap of his fingers, the expired milk disappeared and was replaced by a carton of fresh milk. He dumped the bowl of corn flakes and spoiled milk into the garbage can, noticing that it was quite full and that there were flies buzzing everywhere in his kitchen. There was also a rank smell coming from the garbage that he hadn't noticed before. Shaking his head, he snapped his finger again, removing the garbage from his kitchen. He would deal with the flies later. He didn't feel like dealing with them at the moment.

_Maybe the Chairman will eat them. _Magnus thought as he made a new bowl of cereal. _He does like to chase them. _

As if on cue, Chairman Meow jumped up on the white counter top and nudged Magnus with his head to get his attention. The small white cat made a piteous meow, it's paw stretched out towards the fresh carton of milk. Smiling a little, Magnus found a little bowl in the cupboard and filled it with milk. The small kitty eagerly lapped up the offering, while Magnus tried to eat his breakfast without enthusiasm.

Magnus forced a few spoonfuls down his throat, barely tasting the food. He ate just enough to assuage his hunger pangs, then he poured the rest down the sink. He put the bowl on top of a growing pile of dishes that he didn't want to clean. Then he moved over to his comfy red armchair and sat down. He sat there in his pajamas and stared at the peeling wall paper across the room, lost in thought. The Chairman came and sat on his lap once he had finished his breakfast. Magnus absently stroked the cat behind the ears and listened to him purr.

If he were perfectly honest, the little cat was the only thing that kept him going these past few months. The warlock hadn't been in the mood for socializing since the war ended. He talked with his clients and then only briefly. Otherwise, he'd been left alone and that was what he wanted.

_Then again, _Magnus thought bitterly, _it's not like there's anyone who __**wants**__ to talk with me anyway. _

As with most wars, this one had brought a high body count with it. Luke and Jocelyn. Jordan and Maia. Maryse and Robert. The Daylighter, Simon, who had given his life to restore the balance and end the war. He had been the final casualty of the war, dying shortly after...shortly after Alec had.

Magnus swallowed heavily, a hard lump in his throat. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He didn't want to break down again. He had broken down more times than he wanted to count these past few months. It wouldn't help him to do it again. Unfortunately, with his eyes closed all he could see were images of Alec. The beautiful blue eyes, the messy jet black hair, the slender, fit body covered in scars. The image was burned into the back of his eye lids, as his memories were the only way he could see Alec now. His lovely, shy, awkward boy was gone and he would never get him back.

The warlock opened his eyes and brooded in the silence. Alexander had perished just before the war had ended, not even leaving a body behind. Magnus had gone over the moment of his death over and over again in his mind, until he had forced himself to stop. It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't bring Alec back.

His death had left Magnus devastated and he was far from the only one. Isabelle and Jace had both survived the war and the death of their older brother had left them both reeling. Both of them had told him that they knew what happened wasn't all his fault, but at the same time they had both expressed that they wanted nothing to do with him. Isabelle had flatly informed him that she never wanted to see him again. The last time he had seen her, she was standing in front of her brother's grave, her dark eyes lifeless and hollow.

After that, he had moved away from New York City. He couldn't bear to stay in his old apartment any longer. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of Alec. His mark was everywhere and the scent of sandalwood, a scent they had both come to love, haunted the air. Every inch of the apartment was a reminder of the most precious thing he had ever had. That precious thing that he would never see again.

He had relocated to Los Angeles, a city he had never particularly cared for. He had no fond memories of the city from the times he had visited and no acquaintances in the area. Hence why he thought it would be the perfect place for him to relocate. No one knew him there. He would be left alone. That was what he had wanted at the time. But now, sitting here all alone brooding in silence, he wondered if he had made the right choice in running away.

Running away from trouble was something he had been good at in his life. It had always worked before. After all, back then, all he had cared about was self preservation. To live to see another day.

A mocking smile appeared on his lips as he lowered his head into his hands. He cringed at his own foolishness, wondering how he could have learned so little about life in his eight hundred years at it. A question rung out in his mind, one that had haunted him since he had ran away to Los Angeles.

_What's the point of living forever if you have nothing worth living for? _

Magnus let the thought reverberate through his mind for a moment before he pushed it back down. He abruptly stood up from his chair and walked back up to his bedroom. He hastily picked out an outfit, snapped it on and went to the bathroom. He made some modest adjustments to his appearance, mostly hiding the dark shadows beneath his eyes. Then, he marched out of the door of his apartment and went outside into the afternoon sun. He didn't want to sit in his dirty, cramped apartment for a minute longer. He was going to take a long walk.

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Author's Note: This story has been an idea I've had in my head for a while now. The next two chapters will probably be background information and then the story will move along. Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Leave a review if you have time!


	2. The War

**The War**

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Magnus felt the heat of summer settle upon him as he walked along the busy streets of Los Angeles. The streets were crowded with people moving to and fro, all of them rushing to get to where they wanted to go. The warlock saw everything from business men in suits and ties, to surfers with their bleach blond hair and baggy clothes, to the occasional glamored downworlder walking beside the oblivious mortals. All of them had that distant look in their eyes, thinking of places they were going and people they wanted to see. He saw plenty of young couples walking hand and hand, laughing and smiling in the bright sunlight. Magnus looked away from them as if they had burned him, jealousy and pain roiling in his stomach.

The warlock continued walking, his mind wandering back to that cold winter in New York City. The snow had covered the ground and the mundane world remained oblivious to the chaos going on all around them. The War of the Dark Shadowhunters had ended back in January, two weeks after New Years Day. It had been the bloodiest war in shadowhunter history.

After his break up with Alec, Magnus had been determined to stay out of it. In fact, he had planned to move to another country before things got too crazy. Only, he found he couldn't leave. In spite of how angry he had been at Alec, he still loved the boy. He had told him that it hadn't changed anything and that he had never wanted to see him again. The warlock had intended to stick to that, but even when he had said it, he had felt like he was making a mistake.

It was that feeling of wrongness that made Magnus stick around, even though he didn't want to. Then, he started hearing news of the war. The Clave had been almost completely wiped out by the Dark Shadowhunters. Idris was destroyed shortly after. Several Institutes around the world had been ransacked, their residents slaughtered.

It only got worse from there. Jonathan and his new shadowhunters seemed unstoppable. The Fair Folk had joined forces with him and several vampire clans had followed suit. Shadowhunters began disappearing daily. Any Downworlder found to be associating with or helping shadowhunters was hunted down and destroyed. The werewolves suffered the most in this regard, followed by the warlocks who were healing the wounded. His good friend Catarina had been one of the unlucky ones to be hunted down and murdered. His heart constricted. Just another person he had cared about whom he'd never see again.

Yet, in spite of the chaos, the New York Institute and it's shadowhunters had remained largely unscathed. Maryse was leading the counter measures in New York and had done a decent job of keeping her team alive. She had help from both Luke and Jocelyn, of course, which helped even the odds a little.

Throughout it all, Magnus kept a secretive eye on Alec. Even if he was angry at the boy, he didn't want to see him die. A world without Alec in it was a thought so terrifying to Magnus that it actually kept him awake at night. His heart felt like it would collapse in on itself if that happened.

As he watched him, the warlock noticed how tired and distant he seemed. The boy seemed thinner than before and even more unkempt. Then, slowly, he began to get his energy back. Fighting alongside Jace, Isabelle, Clary and Simon seemed to awaken a spark in him and give him the distraction he needed. Soon, he was looking more like himself and Magnus felt a pain in his gut. Alec was starting to move on.

Magnus thought he should be happy about this. He didn't want the boy to be miserable forever, did he? No, he didn't. Yet, the idea of Alec getting over him and finding someone else made him feel even worse than he had when they first broke up. He didn't want to watch from a distance as Alec fell in love with somebody else. Figuring Alec was in good hands, he returned to his apartment with the intention of leaving New York for good.

It was New Years' Eve and Magnus was almost entirely packed up when his cell phone started buzzing incessantly. He saw that he had several texts from Luke of all people. Magnus had stopped going to the Council meetings ages ago and he had thought his seat had been given to someone else. He had no idea why the werewolf was contacting him. The two of them were on friendly terms, but he had never considered them friends, per se.

The warlock was about to put the phone back down and ignore it, when a few words in bold caught his attention. His eyes widened as he read messages.

_Magnus, the __**New York Institute**__ is __**under attack**__. The wards are down. We're being attacked by Jonathan and his Dark Shadowhunters. __**We're outnumbered**__. Please help! _

Magnus stared down at his phone for a moment, not really seeing it. All he could picture was Alec, fighting at the Institute that was overrun by demons. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he had grabbed his coat, opened a portal and rushed to the New York Institute.

The warlock had stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. The Institute was not just under attack. It was on fire. Demons were crawling on the outside walls, damaging the structure and threatening to collapse the whole building down on top of the fighters below. He could hear the clang of metal on metal, the snarls of werewolves, the screams of agony and triumph. And through it all he had only one thought.

_Alec._

Charging, Magnus's thin fingers crackled with blue sparks and he unleashed his powers on the demons plaguing the outer walls. They screeched at the unexpected assault and disappeared, returning to their own dimensions. He weaved and dodged around the other occupants of the battle, occasionally lending his sparks to help a werewolf or a shadowhunter. His cat eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for black hair and a pair of blue eyes. Finally, he spotted the boy in question and he was filled with relief. He was still alive.

The relief was soon replaced by fear as he realized that Alec was facing off with Jonathan and two other Dark Shadowhunters. His sister Isabelle was collapsed behind him and an injured Clary was trying to rouse her, but to no avail. Neither one of them could get far in their condition, even if Isabelle was conscious. And as long as that were true, Alec couldn't move because they would die if he did. Magnus started to run.

Alec didn't notice Magnus's presence at all as he dashed towards him. He was too busy dodging Jonathan's blows, while parrying the knives of two of his lackies. He was holding them off, but it wouldn't last. Shallow cuts started to appear on Alec's arms and body. Red streams of blood trickled down from the wounds. Alec was wearing down and one good blow would finish him.

Suddenly, Jonathan lunged and knocked Alec to the ground. He pinned the blue eyed shadowhunter down with his weight, pressing a dagger to his throat. Another trickle of blood sprouted from a small cut on his neck. Alec glared fiercely, covering the fear that was in those eyes. Sebastian whispered something to Alec, then raised his dagger. As he did, his hand erupted into blue flames and he roared in agony.

Wasting no time, Alec sprung to his feet with a seraph blade in hand. Looking the part of the avenging angel, Alec swiped his dagger across the front of Jonathan's shadowhunter armor. Jonathan gave a long cry of pain as blood dripped from the long gash across his body. Jonathan, his lips curled back in a snarl and his eyes blazing with anger, made to launch himself at Alec. Magnus's fingers sparked and Jonathan, along with the two Dark Shadowhunters, stopped just short of a wall of blue flame. Cursing, the trio turned away and fled back through the Institute.

Once they had vanished, Alec turned to his sister and Clary, kneeling down beside them. The spirited red head reassured him that they were both all right. She had drawn a few iratzes on them both and Isabelle was starting to wake up again. Looking relieved, Alec stood up and sheathed his glowing dagger, turning his body back towards the hallway. It was then when Alec turned and saw Magnus.

The blue eyes shone with hope, love and tears all at the same time. He was looking at Magnus like he had come out of a dream, like he couldn't believe he was really there. All else forgotten, Alec ran forward and flung his arms around him. The blue eyed shadowhunter buried his head into Magnus's chest, holding on as tightly as he could without hurting the warlock. Magnus found himself squeezing just as tightly back, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't realized how worried he had been about Alec until now.

Alec raised his mouth to Magnus's ear and whispered, "You're here. You're really here."

"Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?" Magnus said as he rubbed circles into the boy's back. "I love you."

He felt Alec's grip on him loosen. The shadowhunter leaned his head down onto Magnus's body, saying nothing. Magnus wondered if he had said something wrong.

"But you said that didn't change anything." Alec turned his head away and pushed out of Magnus's arms. His blue eyes were focused on the wall. "You said you never wanted to see me again."

Magnus opened his mouth and closed it. He found himself at a lose for words.

Alec's blue eyes had briefly locked with his as he waited for an answer. When he received none, his gaze returned to the floor.

"You should get out of here." Alec's voice was cold and flat. "This isn't your war."

Alec started to walk past him still, not looking at him. A sudden burst of anger gripped Magnus and he moved in front of the shadowhunter, forcing him to stop.

"That's it? That's all you have to say to me?"

The blue eyed shadowhunter looked up at this, confusion and anger vying for dominance in his eyes. "What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could actually thank me for saving your life and the lives of your friends for the umpteenth time! Maybe you could look me in the eye and spare more than a few minutes to talk to me!"

_Maybe you could tell me you loved me, just like you always used to. _He was startled by how much he wanted this, but he wasn't about to say it. Not yet. Not until they'd talked things over.

"Magnus." Alec was staring at him as if he were the slowest person imaginable. "The Institute is on fire. There are demons running through the halls. Dark Shadowhunters are trying to kill us all. I don't have time to talk with you."

The warlock couldn't help but be reminded of a similar conversation the two of them had had months ago in the streets of Idris. He fought the urge to smile. Magnus was about to say something else when Alec took a deep breath and continued.

"But, we could always talk after the fighting's finished," Alec's was speaking towards the floor and it was clear he was trying to get the words out as fast as he could. "You know, if you still want to that is."

Feeling more like himself than he had in months, Magnus winked at Alec and said, "It's a date."

Alec looked up in surprise. His eyes met the warlock's and a small glimmer of hope showed in his eyes. "Really?"

Before Magnus could say anything in reply, a familiar voice on his right startled them both by saying, "Sorry to break up the happy reunion, but I like to remind you both that the Institute is in bad shape." Jace stood a little away from them, with Clary at his side. Simon had appeared with Jace and was supporting Isabelle. "It'll be hard for you both to kiss and make-up if you get yourselves crushed by a roof cave-in."

Magnus, annoyed at Jace for interrupting his conversation with Alec, was about to give a snappy retort when an ominous creak sounded above them. Everyone looked up at the ceiling and then back at each other with the same worried expression.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Simon noted and they all took off at a run.

Jace led the way, checking behind him from time to time to make sure Clary was still close by. Alec was hot on his parabatai's heels with Magnus keeping an eye on him from behind. Isabelle and Simon brought up the rear.

They made good time and were about to reach a flight of stairs that would take them out of the Institute when a number of demons ran out of an adjacent room to block their path. Jace and Alec quickly dispatched them and they were about to continue on their way when a slithering sound behind them stopped them cold.

The group turned around to see that a behomoth demon had appeared behind them. It's black, slug-like body was arched upwards towards the ceiling and it's large gaping maw was open as if ready to swallow its prey whole. Though it had no eyes, it was clearly trained on Simon and Isabelle.

Isabelle reached for her whip, but she wasn't fast enough. The demon was already descending. Simon, using his vampire speed, quickly ran to the things side and slammed into it at full speed. This startled the behemonth enough to stop it before it could swallow Isabelle. The thing turned to the vampire instead and started to lunge, but Magnus let out a burst of fire that scorched the creature's side, allowing Simon to escape.

The behemoth reared back and looked as if it was getting ready to charge them, but before it could a large werewolf can up from behind it and took a large bite of it. The demon gave a cry of pain, its head crashing into the ceiling as it jerked and then faded back into its own dimension, leaving only a puddle of green fluid behind.

The werewolf spat out the demon blood distastefully before turning back into Lucian Graymark. The red-haired Jocelyn came up behind him, her eyes searching for only one person. When her eyes caught sight of Clary, she ran for her and pulled her into a hug. Luke came over to Simon to ask if they were alright, but before the vampire cold answer, Magnus heard a loud snap above him. He looked up just as a sharp pain struck the back of his head, causing the world to fade to black. The last thing Magnus had heard before he went unconscious was Alec screaming his name.

The next thing he knew, Magnus was in a white hospital bed with a sharp pain throbbing in his head. He had gotten knocked out. Sitting up with a grimace, he noticed that they were no longer in the Institute. This looked more like the inside of a warehouse.

_It's probably Luke's werewolf headquarters. _He thought as he continued to rub his head.

His cat eyes scanned the room and saw that there were a lot of occupied beds, cots and other makeshift sleeping areas scattered about. Injured nephilim and werewolves were lying side by side, some still being treated by members of the pack. The warlock couldn't help but smile about that and was about to lay back down when a sight to his right stopped him. In the bed beside him was a shadowhunter with thick black hair and pale skin. His stomach had been wrapped in white bandages, with dark red splotches dotting the outside. It was Alec.

The blue eyed shadowhunter was asleep and lying very still in his bed, though his breathing was still even. In spite of his own pain, Magnus had made his way over to Alec's bed. He saw the young boy shivering a little at the cold of the room. Gently, he lay down beside him, wrapped his arms around his body and fell asleep.

After a brief rest, he woke up again in the dark, make-shift hospital room. His shirt felt wet and he realized why as his cat eyes came into focus. Alec was curled up against him, head buried in his chest and was silently weeping. His grip on Magnus was incredibly tight, as if he were afraid the warlock would disappear if he let go. Magnus smiled sadly and gently ran his fingers through Alec's dark hair. The shadowhunter lying beside him immediately stiffened.

"Alec." Magnus whispered in his ear, rubbing the shadowhunter's back to try and soothe him. He heard Alec take in a shuddering breath, clearly trying to control his tears.

"I-I'm sorry." He whispered back, releasing his hold on the warlock. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

Alec started to pull away, but Magnus wouldn't let him. He tightened his grip and drew Alec back against his chest. Alec was still tensed up, but he didn't protest the move. Instead, he lay very still, as if he were afraid of making the wrong move. Magnus pressed his lips to Alec's forehead and he felt the shadowhunter shiver a little in his arms.

"Magnus..." The blue eyed shadowhunter whispered in the dark, a mixture of affection and confusion.

"Alexander, what's all this about?" He whispered back, wiping away some of the tears from Alec's blue eyes with his thin fingers. Alec seemed to shrink into himself at the question, his head drawing downward and his knees folding upward.

"I—you got hurt again," Alec's voice was shaking terribly and it was clear he was trying not to start crying again, "because of me. You could have died because of me." His trembling hands clutched the fabric of Magnus's shirt tightly.

"Alec, this isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is!" He insisted in a fervent whisper. A small, shuddering breath escaped him. Magnus felt him swallow hard before he continued. "You were only at the Institute because of me. If you had died— "

Magnus pressed a finger to his ex's lips, silencing him effectively. "But I didn't. I'm still alive. So, there's no point in worrying about what could have happened. You'll only make yourself crazy thinking like that."

"But—"

"Alexander." Magnus growled in exasperation and Alec's mouth closed with a snap.

A long moment of silence stretched between them as they lay side by side on the bed. Alec rubbed his eyes to brush away his remaining tears, then brought the hand back down limply at his side. The warlock thought the shadowhunter might say something then, but he didn't. Just when Magnus had thought that Alec might have gone to sleep, he spoke in a small voice that only the warlock could hear.

"I don't even understand why you're here. This isn't your war."

Magnus considered this, feeling a little dejected. "Do you not want me to be here?"

"That's not—I didn't, I mean," Alec took a deep breath and continued. "I want you to be with me, but I don't want to put you in danger." Alec turned his head away from Magnus. "I've put you in danger too many times already."

"Alexander," Magnus tried to say something, but the blue eyed shadowhunter talked over him as if he hadn't spoken.

"I'm a shadowhunter and fighting these battles is what I do, but you're not one of us. It's not something that you want anything to do with. You only helped us out before because of me. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do. "

Magnus couldn't help but feel stung by the words, mostly because they were true. He wasn't a very altruistic warlock. He wasn't a warrior either. He didn't like fighting in battles, no matter how good the cause was.

"Would you rather I had disappeared and never seen you again?" Magnus found he couldn't stop the words from spilling out of him. "Would you rather die than let me help you?"

"I'd rather you be safe. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

A fiery anger gripped Magnus then and he placed his fingers under Alec's chin, forcing the boy to look him in the eye.

"You stupid Nephilim!" His whisper was fierce, but not without affection. "Don't you think it's the same for me? Don't you understand that I feel the same way every time you fight one of your stupid battles? How much it hurts me to think that one day you might go on one of your patrols and never come back?"

Magnus could see Alec's eyes water all over again. His lips trembled and he fought to control himself.

"You feel that way?" Alec said at last, his voice so small that Magnus had to strain to hear him. "Even now?"

Magnus lost himself in the watery blue eyes, the eyes that had entranced him from the first night he had seen them at his party so many months ago. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed looking into those beautiful eyes and how much he'd missed them.

"I love you. That hasn't changed." Magnus answered and pressed his forehead against Alec's. He felt the shadowhunter's scarred hands slip into his own and give them a squeeze. They laid on the bed together in silence, enjoying each other's warmth.

Alec abruptly pulled away from him and was about to say more, but Magnus put a finger to his lips. "That's enough for now. We can discuss this at home."

"You mean your apartment? Your home, right?"

"It hasn't felt much like home since..." Magnus trailed off, stopping himself. He didn't want to have this conversation here. There were too many personal things that needed to be said and if they argued, he wanted it to be in private. "Never mind. We can talk about it later. For now, let's get some rest." He smiled in the darkness. "Or as much rest as we can. You may not believe this, but I have the worst headache."

Magnus was rewarded with a small chuckle from Alec, who had finally started to relax against him. The blue eyed shadowhunter rested his head against Magnus's chest and closed his eyes. Magnus gave him a little squeeze before he closed his own eyes, drifting off into sleep.

The next morning they were both woken up by an over eager Isabelle, who shook them both awake. She handed us both a mug of hot coffee, looking between the two of us with a smirk on her face. Alec's face turned a lovely shade of pink as he buried his face in his coffee mug. I chuckled as Isabelle strutted away, taking in the sight of Alec's warm blush. It had been too long since I'd seen it.

After we had finished our coffee, I'd turned to Alec and said, "Well, when do you want to come over?"

Alec's red face got a little redder. He also looked a bit nervous. "I have to check with my mom and the others. You know, make sure they're okay and that they don't need me for a while. Then, I can come by."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like it could be a while. Are you sure you want to talk things over?"

Alec jerked towards him so abruptly that he upturned his coffee mug. If it hadn't been empty, the shadowhunter would have found himself with a lap full of hot coffee. "I do!" He said quickly and adamantly. "Of course I do. It's just, things have been so crazy. I want to check on the rest of my family. I'm not trying to ignore you. I'm not! It's just—" Alec stopped as he realized he was babbling.

The warlock smiled. There was the sweet, awkward boy he knew. Magnus leaned forward and gave him a little peck on the cheek. "Alright. Just don't take too long."

Alec's blush now covered his whole face. His eyes shown and he nodded. Magnus forced himself away from the blue eyed shadowhunter. He walked outside the warehouse and opened a portal back to his apartment. He walked up the stairs, opened the door and shut it behind him with a sigh. Then he waited.

Magnus remembered how he had paced impatiently around the apartment. He couldn't sit still, not for long anyway. When he did, his fingers drummed impatiently on his knee. Minutes later he would be up again and pacing. The Chairman sat and stared at him as he paced, clearly wondering if Magnus was playing a new game. Then, as morning became afternoon, the Chairman had wandered off in search of other entertainment. Magnus was still stuck waiting.

He tugged some locks of his long black hair impatiently. The warlock watched the afternoon sun from his window, the snow mingling with its golden rays.

_Where the hell is that boy? _He thought for the hundredth time. _I didn't think he'd keep me waiting this long. _His heart sank in his chest. _Maybe he isn't coming. Maybe he changed his mind. No! No, that can't be! He wouldn't do that? Would he? No, he'll be here. He has to come by. _

Just as he was about to collapse into a chair again from frustration, the buzzer rang. Magnus raced to answer it, not bothering with any overblown announcements this time.

"Alec?" He asked a little desperately. He cursed himself for sounding so eager. They still had a lot of things to work out. They weren't back together yet.

Yet.

"Y-Yeah, it's me." Alec's reply was timid. "Can you let me up?"

Magnus quickly pressed the button to unlock the door. Then he waited in the doorway. He watched as Alec brushed the snow off his shoulders, his cheeks red from the cold. Finally, Alec's blue eyes met his and they froze. Magnus felt his heart skip a beat.

_Beautiful. _He thought as he gazed into those eyes.

Magnus gestured towards the inside of his apartment. "Well, are you coming?" He had asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Alec nodded slowly, then made his way up the stairs. Magnus had closed the door behind him as the shadowhunter walked slowly into his apartment. Alec's shoulders were hunched with apprehension. Magnus was feeling a tightness in his stomach as well at what was to come.

_Well, _he had thought with some resignation, _time for one long, awkward and potentially angry conversation._

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Back in the present, Magnus winced as he walked down the hot sidewalk. The pain in his stomach was similar to what it had been back then, only now it was ten times worse. That conversation they had on New Year's Day had changed everything. At the time, it had made Magnus happier than he had ever been in centuries. Now, he wished it had never happened.

_If only I had left the country like I had planned. If only I had stayed away from Alec, he'd be alive now. _Magnus shut his eyes, blocking out the bright sun. _They wouldn't have taken him then. _

Magnus decided he was tired of the gray sidewalks and tall buildings. He wanted a change of venues. Something that looked less like New York City. Ducking into an alley, he opened a portal and headed for the beach. White hot sand appeared under his feet and the smell of brine filled his nostrils. He started to walk, lost in thought again.

Little did either of them know, the conversation they had back on New Year's Day was the beginning of the end. That was in the final two weeks of the war. And, as Magnus regrettably found out, a lot could happen in two weeks time.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed the first chapter! I'm glad you liked the story so far. I've still got another chapter of background information to do before we start moving forward, but then we should be stuck in the present from then on. Let me know what you think of this story so far.


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